A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court has dismissed an application brought by a businessman, Adolph Tetteh Adjei, seeking to overturn a judgment entered in favour of renowned investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, over a land dispute.
In dismissing the application by an overwhelming 7-0 unanimous decision, the court, said, having considered the motion, affidavits both in support and opposition, statements of case of counsel for both sides and heard oral submissions of lawyers of the parties, it found that the application did not meet the minimum threshold for a review of the decision of the ordinary bench of five justices, delivered in November last year.
The parties, Adolph, Anas and Holy Quaye, have been locked in an intense legal battle over a parcel of prime land in Accra
The case travelled from the High Court through the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, the last and final arbiter of disputes in Ghana, culminating in a judgment in November 2025 entered in favour of the journalist.
Dissatisfied with the decision of the five-member panel, Mr Tetteh Adjei brought a review application, which was heard on January 27, 2026, by a seven-member panel presided over by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang.
Generally, for the Supreme Court to review its own decision, an applicant must demonstrate exceptional circumstances such as a fundamental error of law or fact apparent on the face of the record, the discovery of new and compelling evidence previously unavailable, or the breach of the rules of natural justice.
Lawyers for Mr Tetteh laid down six grounds they argued constitute a miscarriage of justice, misapplication of the law, among others, and therefore form the basis for a review of the earlier decision of the court.
The seven eminent justices, however, unanimously held in their judgment delivered on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, that the applicant, Mr Tetteh, had failed to meet the minimum threshold required to invoke the apex court’s review jurisdiction.
This decision brings a significant finality to the protracted dispute and vests title to the said land firmly in Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who acquired same from the Ataa Tawiah Tsiniatse and Numo Ofoli Kwashie Family
The full bench reaffirmed certain aspects of the November decision of the ordinary Bench.
It pointed out that the 2015 consent judgment of the Court of Appeal, which purported to compromise an earlier judgment of Justice Ofori-Atta at the High Court, remained valid unless and until set aside.
This is in recognition of the pending High Court case challenging the validity of that consent judgment.
But the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that until the High Court determines otherwise, the consent judgment remains valid.
On the scope of the judgment, the court reaffirmed that beyond Mr Tetteh and in relation to the two acres – the subject of the dispute – it did not affect the rights of other third parties whose grants remained valid until otherwise determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The other justices who sat on the review application are Justice Richard Adjei Frimpong, Justice Hafisatu Amaleboba, Justice Yoni Kulendi, Justice Bright Mensah, Justice Janapare Bartes-Kodwo, and Justice Ernest Gaewu.
myjoyonline.com
